He hypothesized that people respond negatively to words that have disgusting connotations. “Moist” being a word that has a disgusting connotation has also been impacted by social transmission. The cultural response is negative because of this. Those who participated in this study who did not like the word “moist” also responded negatively to other ‘gross’ words like “vomit” and “phlegm.” This meaning te icky feeling you get when you hear these words could also be related in part to the association with ‘gross’ bodily functions.